Sunday, May 29, 2011

Oh, Sookie! This girl gets into more situations then anyone in the world. But when your life involves vampires, Weres, shifters, and witches what do expect?

This time Sookie has really done it. Bill and her are officially over and then he takes off to Peru on "business". So, Sookie spends her New Year's Eve working as a waitress at Merlotte's. After a long night, Sookie heads home only to find Eric running half naked down the road and he does not remember anything.

It comes to be known that Eric has been cursed by a witch. He was cursed because the witch want part of Eric's business. Now the witches as hunting Eric and needs to remain hidden. Of course, who would look at Sookie's house. Now that Eric is cursed he does not remember that he is a hard-headed, over-bearing, and aggressive vampire. He is now sensitive, kind, and caring. Sookie has never seen this side of Eric, but she is liking it A LOT! Now she is more confused than ever.

Now she to deal with the Nice-Eric, a vampire battle between them and the witches, and now Jason (her brother) has disappeared. Only Sookie! As the feud increases, so does Sookie and Eric's relationship. Then it finally comes to a head. The witches and vampire battle gathered together for more than their share of blood shed. But in the end of it all, Jason is found, witches are dead, and Sookie and Eric are together.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

I do enjoy Jane Austen and Pride and Prejudice is my favorite of her novels. Yes, I do enjoy horror movies. There is honestly nothing I like better than the "thrill & scare" that a horror movie gives. Then I saw this book and my first thought was "OMG! Brillant!". Then I read it and I was like, "OMG! NO!"

The idea was good but you just cannot change Jane Austen! YOU CANNOT DO IT! In my imagination I cannot see Elizabeth Bennet as a martial arts expert taking down the "stricken" at every turn. Then there is Mr. Darcy (whom is still my first book crush) and make him into the monster-hunter. I cannot see it!

I will give Grahame-Smith one thing, it was an awesome idea. The book is very descriptive and if you like the "old-world" feel with ninjas then this is your book, For me, it was a NO!

I will just stick with the class Jane Austen, Elizabeth Bennet, and Mr. Darcy.

I closed the cover on City of Glass late last night, a lot had happened to the characters, but I know when I pick up the 4th in the series, it will keep me as riveted and probably wanting more...ON TO THE NEXT ONE...

I think for me, the Mortal Instruments Series can be summed up in two words..JACE WAYLAND. The star of the series is good looking, confident, and extremely arrogant. All the things you could possibly want in a bad boy hero. His constant snarkey remarks, made me laugh and love him right off the bat. I could spend the whole review on Jace alone, but I will try to move on. I was a late comer to this series and I am forever grateful to Mary for urging me to read them. The moment I picked up the book and was transported to Pandemonium I was hooked. The action started in the first chapter and didn't end until I closed the third book. Not since the Twilight series have I read a series with such fury, always yearning to see what the next page held for me. I loved all the characters for the most part. Clary was sweet and I liked her attitude as she came to grips with what was happening to her. Simon, wasn't a fave until the third book, where he really proved his loyalty and love for Clary . Alec seemed cold to me for the longest time and then you learn of his own demons so to speak and your heart goes out to him. I bonded with Isabelle because I found a lot of myself in her, a strong girl with a killer fashion sense..

The story, I must admit, took a turn I did not enjoy. I struggled my way through the second one because of it. Not to say it kept me from wanting to read more, actually it made me read much faster wanting to find out the truth. Half way through the third book I knew if I kept reading it would all be okay.

As much as I love Jace, Clary, Simon, Isabelle, Alec and yes, even Mangus, I hated Valentine with the same passion. He was a constant force in all three books, but without him, there wouldn't have been the twists and turns that were needed to keep you reading. These books have everything you can imagine in them....angels, fairies, vampires, werewolves ( which, shhhh don't let Flo know, I really liked ) undying friendship and a tragic love story , yet there was plenty of humor spread throughout the book to lighten the sometimes tragic mood.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Mary and Flo had DRASTICALLY different opinions of Cosmopolis, so I posted on the blog that I would cast the deciding vote. Since this is an RPattz book to movie, I was sure I would love it and was sincerely hoping to tip the scale in its favor.

Unfortunately, I felt the book was simply ok. I can't say that I liked it nor did I hate it. Like Flo, I tried to envision Pattinson as Eric. That is the only thing that enabled me to persevere.

The first issue that I had was the lack of continuity. The book to me seemed like a bunch of independent scenes in a movie that never really connected until the very end. Second, I had a hard time determining who was speaking on a number of occasions. The dialogue between characters was often mixed with paragraphs containing Eric's thoughts, which required careful deciphering to ensure I was following things accurately. I anticipate that these issues will be resolved in the movie, which will allow me to enjoy the movie more so than the book, which is rarely the case.

The final issue that I had involved the numerous indiscretions that take place throughout the story. I just could not relate to what was taking place. How can this brilliant multi-billionaire make so many irrational decisions in one day? I just didn't get it. Rob is really going to have his work cut out for him with this one. Will I go see the movie....ABSOLUTELY. I would not miss the opportunity to see some of these outrageous acts brought to life. I just wonder how closely the movie will be able to follow the book without losing its marketability.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

I came across this novel when some of my Twitter friends were talking about it. Then I looked it up online and read through some of the reviews and thought it sounded interesting. The one thing that I did not realize is that I would be sucked into a world that I never thought would exist. I really cared about these characters.

The book begins with Thomas. He is trapped in a sort-of elevator (or The Box) and he does not know anything but just his name. When The Box reaches the top he is surrounded by a group of young boys and he finds out that he is in The Glade. He is completely unsure of what to do, where he is, or why there are walls that move at night. The one thing he does know is that outside the walls is a maze and when the boys figure out the maze they can go home.

Then a girl shows up the very next day and tell all the boys there will be no more after her. Teresa then falls into a deep coma but can talk to Thomas telepathically﻿. It is at that time that Thomas starts begin a Runner. The Runners run the Maze everyday from the time they wake until the walls close at night to map out the Maze and see if it can be figured out so that they can go home. It is not that simple because there are Grievers in the Maze and if you get "stung" then you go through something called Changing. During this your memories begin to come back. Thomas realizes that he has to get stung so that he can be able to solve the Maze.

When he comes out of the Changing and Teresa out of her coma he is able to convince the others that the Maze needs to be solved and they have to get out of there.

However, I am not going to spoil the surprise of the ending. But I will tell you that Scorch Trials is out and there is third book out soon!

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

It's Elizabeth Scott Week, which is being hosted in several places across the blogosphere. I have to admit, I had not read anything by Elizabeth Scott when I stumbled upon her blog. But she was holding a contest to win Abandon by Meg Cabot, so I entered. And I won! Yay! And then she also included Something, Maybe! Double yay! And, it turns out, I read Something, Maybe right away and have yet to read Abandon. Something, Maybe was adorable -- I read it in one day. On to the the review!

Flo posted an extensive review of Divergent a couple of months ago. I could not agree with her more. This book was AMAZING. There is no other way to describe it. The storyline was very original and the characters were constantly evolving. I simply did not want to put it down, nor did I want it to end.

Since Flo left a gaping hole in her review on purpose, I will attempt to fill it. Four was by far my favorite character. He was strong and appeared to be fearless, as the Dauntless are described to be, but as the story progressed I learned that there is a lot more to him. He helps Tris and the readers to discover what is really going on within the factions and why being Divergent is a desirable quality. The interactions and dialogue between Tris and Four are what captivated me the most. Without Four, I guarantee I would not have felt the same way about this book.

Mary's Review:

This book was a very quick read for me and I loved it after the first two chapters. The first couple chapters were a bit of a template for me. Let me explain, I did not enjoy the book MATCHED by Ally Condie and the first two chapters were showing simialites to it. However, after Tris chose what faction she was going to live in, the book to a dramatic turn and I loved it!

Jacque is very correct in saying that Four made this book. The book would not be the same without Four. (I think this is the first time we all are on the same "Team") Within this book you can actually see Tris grow into a strong and determined person and that is because Four is there to help her with that.

Teri's Review:

Divergent is my very first book with the blog. I excitedly went to the book store, (Im old school and do not download books yet..) and picked up the book skimming the jacket. I have to admit I felt a bit disappointed and thought " this is not for me.." It seemed futurist. The only futurist thing that crosses my mind is who will be wearing what in the next season. But like a trooper, I paid for my book and carried on. Like Mary, I struggled though the first few chapters. They held little interest to me and my perceptions on the Abnegation bordered on Amish like. It was Tris's apparent act of rebellion in choosing Dauntless that caught my attention and I was hooked from then on. The characters suddenly became real to me, as did their struggles to want to fit in where a lot of them obviously didn't belong. Like my fellow bloggers, I was totally Team Four. His darkness appealed to my love of bad boys, and I cherished the relationship between him and Tris and wanted it to be real. I found this book a easy enjoyable read, one that deals with our desires to belong , and our need for acceptance .

Friday, May 13, 2011

I couldn't resist making a Happy Birthday post while our Team Jacob representative is out to sea without internet access. The Book Nerds would like to wish our FAVORITE vampire and circus veterinarian a VERY happy 25th birthday.

Katie told us that she has written every day since the 4th grade, and that she tapped into her voice from her high school journals when writing The Magnolia League. And then she read us some snippets from one of them! I thought that was pretty cool.

Another fun fact about Katie's writing is that in all her books she makes sure to write a character who is her current age "so I can anchor myself."

Next, Katie read to us from Men and Dogs, which was just released in paperback. She ended the evening by signing books and taking pictures. Yani and I were also able to convince her to revitalize her Twitter account, so if you have Twitter, be sure to follow her: @ktcrouch.

Monday, May 9, 2011

The fashion. The hot men. And most importantly, the relationship between the four girlfriends. When one of the Blockbusters near me closed, I was able to buy almost every single DVD from the HBO series. And when I heard that Candace Bushnell, author of the Sex and the City book that inspired the TV show, was coming to my area, I simply had to go.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Meet Rachel, a New York Lawyer, turning 30. Rachel is sweet, kind, and single﻿. Her best friend, Darcy is the complete opposite of that. Darcy is outgoing, selfish, and engaged to Dex. Dex and Rachel went to law school together and were friends.

It was not until the night of Rachel's 30 birthday party, that Darcy hosted, that her life changed. Dex and Rachel ended up sleeping together. Rachel was so upset because she could not believe that she did that to her best friend, Darcy. However, Rachel and Dex's relationship blossomed.

As the story unfolds, we should feel sorry for Darcy, but it is Rachel who you want to give the hug too. Through the ups and downs of the story, Rachel finally begins to figure out that she needs to live her life for her and not to please everyone else.

Many people have commented, and we have also noticed, that one of the fun things about having multiple people adminster a book blog is that there are lots of differences of opinion that lead to good discussions.

Back in March, Mary read and reviewed Cosmopolis by Don DeLillo. She loved it! (And not just because she knew that Robert Pattinson was going to play the main character in the upcoming movie.) After hearing that she gave it 5 out of 5 stars, I made it a point to experience the book for myself. I downloaded the audiobook and...